This painting is of the 'H.M.S Sirius' on which my ancestor Robert WATSON was Quartermaster arriving in Australia with the First Fleet in 1788

This site is my attempt to preserve as much detail as possible regarding the lives of my ancestors who came from various places in Great Britain, Ireland, Scotland and Wales and many of whom settled in Australia. The information is being gathered for the benefit of their descendants, those presently living and those yet to come.

I would love to hear from anyone who shares common ancestry
Send an e-mail to: Amanda Taylor

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Taylor Family History & Genealogy Research

Meaning of the name Taylor

Taylor - English and Scottish: occupational name for a tailor, from Old French tailleur (Late Latin taliator, from taliare 'to cut'). The surname is extremely common in Britain and Ireland, and its numbers have been swelled by its adoption as an Americanized form of the numerous equivalent European names, most of which are also very common among Ashkenazic Jews, for example Schneider, Szabo, and Portnov.
Source : Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4.

Our paternal Taylor Ancestry in England

Our TAYLOR ancestry can be found both on my father and mother's lines.
My father's (and my own) paternal ancestry has been traced back to William TAYLOR, a Musician of Bristol, Gloucestershire, England
who was born in about 1750. He is the first known of four generations of Musicians, as his son, also named William was a Pianoforte and Organ Builder. William's grandson was also a Bristol Musician & Composer, like his father, and his own son, once again named William Frederick (Fred) was a Professor of Music, Steward and Entertainer who was employed as a musician for the cruise shipping company 'P & O Liners'. He had settled permanently in Australia by 1899 and also played in Theatre Orchestras in both Sydney and Melbourne and taught music.

Our maternal Taylor Ancestry in Scotland

I have traced my mother's TAYLOR ancestry back to Alexander TAYLOR, a Master Hairdresser of Abbey (Paisley), Renfrew in Scotland who was born about 1800. His son and grandson, both named Robert, were also both Master Hairdressers. His grandson Robert Taylor immigrated from Scotland before April 1898 and set up a store at a place called Pitfall (?) Plains in Victoria (thought to be 'Ballarat Pitfield Plains') which was in the gold mining fields (Pitfield Plains was in the Parish of Commeralghip, in the Municipality of Grenville, and is in the current Municipality of Golden Plains, Land District of Ballarat, in the county of Grenville).

Robert's wife Mary and their children followed months later and according to his grandaughter came out on the first steam ship. However, present research indicates that the first steam-ship to sail between Britain and Australia left from Whitstable in 1837, the William IV, was registered No 3 in the Shipping Register of Australia in Sydney in 1839.

His wife, Mary and their children arrived in Victoria in October 1896 as 'Unassisted Immigrants' on the ship "Ormuz". Robert is believed to have arrived in Victoria about fifteen months earlier, possibly aboard the ship "Gulf of Lions" in July 1895. After spending a matter of months in Victoria they came to Sydney by Cobb & Co stagecoach, a journey which took many days.

According to their daughter Mary, before coming to Australia they had seven shops in Scotland and they had servants to look after them, even to cleaning their shoes and Mary said that she got into big trouble one night as she went out and swapped everyone's shoes around. Their daughter Mary also always claimed that her mother could not cook when they came to Australia - not to even boil water - as their meals were always cooked for them and said it was a big upheaval for her mother especially with such a big family.

Personally, I still find this story of Mary's inability to boil water difficult to accept, considering the fact that Mary was born the third daughter of a Coal Miner!!! Perhaps though, she had become accustomed to a better life with Servants, than the life of her childhood days?.

I would love to know what happened to make them come out here. Their great-grandaughter was told by her mother that it was because her grandmother had to come to a warmer climate. However, both myself and another descendant think that perhaps Robert may have been looking to make big money from the gold strikes that were happening in Victoria at
that time after most likely something went wrong with his businesses in Scotland?.

Taylor Online Resources

There are numerous individual message Boards for the TAYLOR name in various counties of the United States [Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Texas & Virginia] in addition to the TAYLOR Rootsweb Message Board at Ancestry.Com

TAYLOR Mailing List at Rootsweb.Com -
for the discussion and sharing of information regarding the Taylor surname and variations in any place and at any time.
* Subscribe: TAYLOR-L-request@rootsweb.com
* Search the
TAYLOR archives.
* Browse the
TAYLOR threaded archives.

Ashdown Family History & Genealogy Research

Meaning of the name Ashdown

Ashdown - English: habitational name from Ashdon in Essex, Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, or Ashdown in Berkshire (now lost). The first two are named from Old English aescen 'growing with ash trees' + dun 'hill'. The last may be from an Old English personal name Esc or Old English aesc 'ash tree' + dun 'hill'.
Source : Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4

Surname Variants of Ashdown

Surname variants include Ashdowne, Asshedowne & Aysschedowne

Ashdown places of Origin

The name ASHDOWN is widely found in areas of Kent, England and it has been said the origins are from the area of "Ashdown Forest" in East Sussex which was known as "Essendoun Forest" in Saxon and Norman times.
Ashdown Forest lies 35 miles south of London, in Sussex, England.
In 1372
Edward III granted 'Assedoun Forest' to his son
John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and it remained as a Royal Forest for 300 years.

Ashdown Forest on the Sussex Weald in England, is an area close to the boundaries of Sussex, Kent and Surrey and many of the genealogies of todays Ashdown families can be traced to this small area of southern England [Source : Our Ashdown Heritage by Mary Rogers].
On the eastern perimeter are the Parishes of Withyham and Rotherfield and the 1851 census shows the location for a Thomas Ashdown's dwelling as 'edge of forest'.

Our Ashdown Origins in Kent, England

I have researched our ASHDOWN ancestry back to Richard ASHDOWN born about 1765 of Otford, Kent, England and his wife Frances BOTTEN born 1766 in Pembury, Kent, England who at this stage are believed to be the parents of our ancestor John Ashdown. Their son John ASHDOWN was a baker residing in Malling, Kent during the years 1822 to 1827. He was christened on 14 Mar 1790 in Otford, Kent, England. John moved to Wrotham, Kent, England in about 1829 where he was a baker employing several men, as well as some family members and he was also the Receiving House for the local Postal Service. I have researched several of his children and to this date have found that his son Henry is the only known family member to immigrate to Australia, where he was a butcher at 55 Druitt Street, Sydney.

George SMITH who arrived in Sydney on the ship 'Fortune' on 12 July 1806.

Although I have found no evidence of proof at this stage, it would appear that our ancestor Thomas SADLER
may be the convict who arrived on the ship 'Mellish' in 1829? It is
also quite possible that his future wife Ann FINNIGAN arrived as a Convict?

Then, there is the mystery of who was Rebecca WATSON's mother? Her mother, was almost certainly a convict, and was quite possibly Sarah DORSET who arrived as a convict on the ship 'Lady Juliana'?

Did they Swim? -Possibly more Convicts in our Past

In genealogy circles this section would more appropriately be titled
'My Brickwalls'. However, as is usual, with the extent of my research I have many brickwalls, and this section is devoted to those ancestors (like Thomas SADLER & Ann FINNIGAN mentioned above) whose arrival in Australia that I have not been able to ascertain. Therefore they are mentioned here, for the benefit of future researchers, in they hope they lead to 'One More Convict to Claim'. They are :

Henry ASHDOWN and his future wife Mary Ann LAWS who both arrived prior to 19 Feb 1856. I recently have found what I believe will prove to be Henry's immigration, incorrectly transcribed at Public Record Office, Victoria Online Database for Unassisted Immigration to Victoria
Index of Inward Passenger Lists for British, Foreign and New Zealand Ports 1852-1923 as follows :
Family Name First Name Age Month Year Ship Port Fiche Page
ASHDAWN HENRY 25 AUG 1853 LADY FLORA B 048 001

Robert MURRAY who arrived before 1814
(possibly on 4 Apr 1807 as a Seaman on the ship 'Brothers'?).

Our Links to Royalty?

In 2005 I was excited to learn that our ancestor William EZZY was thought to be a descendant of King Henry II of England, as this opened a whole new avenue of research. However, after extensive research, regrettably I think it important to mention that I now no longer believe William is so descended. Of course his forebearer may still prove to be Thomas HYSSYE quite possibly a descendant of Hubert (Hugh) HUSSEY who came over from Normandy with William the Conquerer and married Hellen, the illegitimate daughter of William's uncle Richard Ill, 5th Duke of Normandy. However, that's a 500 year gap to prove!!

Ezzey and Hissey researchers, please note these pages contain errors in some places regarding the ancestral lineage of William HYSSIE christened 21 Jul 1734 in Church of England Parish Church of Hampstead-Norris. It should be noted that many researchers [and the IGI] incorrectly show him to be a descendant of John Hissey christened 1701 in Longworth, which is incorrect. The correct ancestor of William HIZZY (christened on 23 Feb 1768 in Beenham, Berkshire, England) who was transported to Australia as a convict and whom became known as William EZZY was the John Hissey who was christened on 10 Nov 1699 in Beedon, Berkshire, England. Therefore, please refer to either my Rootsweb database for Hissey ancestry prior to 1699 at this stage, or my pages atEzzy & Ezzey Family History & Genealogy Research

These pages includes some of the Ezzy / Ezzey, Floyd, Lamb, Chambers, Witney and relates spouse families researched by
Grace Douglass and Laurel Legge and published in 'Along the Windsor Richmond Road' 1985 (ISBN 0 9589831 0 0 and ISBN 0 9589831 3 5) which is subject to copyright. Written permission is held from the late author Grace Douglass for the writer to publish contents via the Internet. However, although this book is in the public domain, it still remains copyrighted material and may not be copied for any reason without permission. I do not have the right to give permission to others to reprint the book. I was only given permission to put extracts online. All copyrights stay with Grace Douglass & Laurel Legge and whoever they appointed, for control of the book. Under no circumstances may it be reprinted for profit. Extractions of parts of the information for personal use with references to the book as the source is encouraged.